


ERROR 401: DELETING DATA

by Fanfic_Soup



Series: UNDERTALE.exe [3]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bad Puns, Bonding, Dark, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Manipulation, Multi, Possessive Behavior, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader-Insert, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-09-13
Packaged: 2018-10-23 15:17:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10721931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fanfic_Soup/pseuds/Fanfic_Soup
Summary: You had made your decision.You would destroy the world to SAVE the world.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a continuation of the series "ERROR 401: UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS". If you have not read that yet, I'd recommend you do.  
> That out of the way, please enjoy this route!

You closed your eyes and inhaled deeply.  
  
"Okay." You reached out, taking hold of the hand Seven extended to you. Even if you RESET everything, that could be fixed; After all, UNDERTALE had survived RESETs before, and this time didn't have to be any different. Once you were safe, you could help everyone get back to the points they needed to be at, especially since you had a better idea of your own strength.  
  
This would be for the best, whether they believed you or not.  
  
As soon as you took hold of Seven's hand, you could see that he visibly relaxed, and a smile appeared on his face. _"I'm so glad you agree, F/n. Honestly, I was a little worried you'd turn me down."_ He laughed sheepishly.  
  
You released his hand and stared at the ground, feeling a little guilty about your choice, but not prepared to go back on it. "Well, since I know what I can do, I can help them get back to where they need to be." You would return to the original story and help Frisk through the Underground, and get your friends back out into the world.  
  
Seven nodded in agreement. _"Exactly. All we need to do is collect those souls."_  
  
"So..." You looked around the Void, recalling you'd left Error behind. "Would it be okay if I went back to check on Error, and tell him what we need to do?"  
  
He shifted a little uneasily, averting his gaze. _"Well... not exactly."_  
  
"Huh? Why not?" You frowned to yourself. It wouldn't take much to open a portal back to the Void, and you were sure Error would still be where you left him. He was probably worried sick right now.  
  
He shook his head and turned back to you. _"You won't be able to use your powers here. This is a 'corrupted' zone."_ He explained.  
  
"A corrupted zone...?"  
  
_"Yeah. That was how I redirected you from the portal you'd made."_  
  
So, he'd seen you do that. "Well, can **you** send me back, then?"  
  
There was another pause, and he shook his head again. _"I can't. It was risky to just bring you here, but to bring you back there..."_ He trailed off, and you took the hint; It would be bad news. You stared down at your hands, thinking for a moment. Error was back in the Void, probably panicked at your sudden disappearance, and apparently there was nothing you could do about it.  
  
A feeling of helplessness started to creep up on you, but before it had a chance to take over Seven spoke again. _"He's... probably looking for you, you know."_ He didn't sound particularly happy, but the thought gave you a sudden hope.  
  
"...Yeah, he probably is." You nodded to yourself, perking a little. He'd never just sit around and wait for you to come back.  
  
_"If we start looking for the CORE souls, I'm sure we'll run into him."_ Seven finished, giving you a purposeful look.  
  
The promise of finding Error again strengthened your resolve, and you nodded, standing up straight. "You're right. So, how are we going to do this?"  
  
Seven turned away from you and raised an arm, closing his open hand in the air. The data that composed his fingers seemed to lag a little behind them, creating a strange swaying motion rather than closing the way a normal hand would, but a portal of pitch-black data appeared in front of you, swirling gently. _"We'll go to the "other" worlds, and find the CORE souls."_ He turned to face you. _"Once we have seven of them, we can RESET."_  
  
"Seven souls..." You stared at the portal intently, as though you could see where you were going just by looking at it. You weren't stupid; That meant seven deaths. Seven sacrifices.  
  
You closed your eyes and imagined a world without Error, without Gaster, without **anything**.  
  
You walked up to the portal and stuck a hand in, then turned to Seven and smiled weakly at him.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
When you stepped through the dark portal, something odd happened; You suddenly became light-headed, and as though you'd been struck on the head, you blacked out.  
  
~  
  
Sans watched the dark sky, his usual nervous smile down-turned ever so slightly. While he was completely used to messed-up things happening, this was... more unnerving than usual.  
  
While the sky was painted its normal red and the moon still glowed sickly yellow, bathing the dead forest in shadows, there was something terribly amiss; The large, coal-black tear that had appeared in the sky.  
  
He hadn't thought much of it at first; Honestly, he'd done his best to ignore the fact that it even existed, as the mere thought of another problem popping up made him sweat. Unfortunately, Papyrus had noticed it as well, and after a swift verbal beating, had instructed him to keep watch over both the hole in the sky **and** the road leading to Snowdin.  
  
"ah, dammit..." He sighed, slumping over against a tree. "s' hard enough to watch the stupid road, let alone this thing..." After a cursory glance down the road, he looked back up at the sky, his good left eye focusing intently on the hole. "but... " In all his years, even back before the Underground became corrupted from the insanity of Genocide run after Genocide run, he'd never seen something like this happen.  
  
"...what the hell is it?"


	2. Chapter 2

The moment you tore open that data wall, he **knew** something had gone wrong. It had been a dangerous request to make, and in hindsight, maybe you weren't quite ready to actually comply with it; However, he **needed** to get there. He needed to enter that child's world, and utilize the latent power that was within it.  
  
He'd planned on explaining it to you afterwards, he really did. But now... now that was pointless, wasn't it?  
  
Before his eyes, you'd vanished. One moment you stood in front of him, an open tear before you, and in the next moment you were just... gone. He stared blankly at the empty space where you once stood, and as the concept of you being gone for good slowly settled into him, he felt something else bubbling up inside.  
  
The child attempted desperately to close the tear, but he moved quickly, forcing his way through what was left of it and into the gold Judgment Hall. They backed away, fear evident in the round, black holes they called eyes.  
  
"How... I..." They were at a loss for words, but that didn't really matter. He had plenty to say.  
  
"you.͟..̵ ͞what͡ ̸ex͝a͡çtl͝y d̢i̕d ͞you ͏d̸o͠ ͜to f/n?͢"  
  
"W-what? I haven't done anything, you need to believe me!" They looked shocked at the accusation, but he knew it was all a charade.  
  
"ŗi͘͝gh̴̵t.̸̷͡ ̴̛͏y͠o͞u ̸ju͝s̡̕͜t̵͜͜ ̸e̢x̶͏p͜ȩçt̸͢ ͜҉mę̷ to̢̢ b͏e̸͜ļi̧̨e͘͠v̡͘e̛ ̡t͝͞ḩ͠aţ͘͝?" He took slow, menacing steps towards the child, and they backed away. "t͢ha͞t͜ t̨͡͞h͏͢e̷̷y͏ ̕͠j̧͝us̕͞t ͞su̵͟d̶̡̨d̷̛e̶̢͝n̶̨l͢y͢ ҉ **̵v̶a̷nį̵͠ş̕h** ͠ą͢͝f̡t͜e̛̕r ̵o̷͞p͜e̵̡n̶͠į̢n̛͢g ̡̕͡a̶͞ ͜͡p͘͠or̵ta͞ļ͘ ̛̕h̢ę̸re̷?"  
  
"Please, you don't have to-"  
  
"s̴h͝u̶͢͜t͝ u͡p̸.̵" He pulled his blasters from the darkness, the blue threads connected to them glowing piercingly in the shadows. **"i̵̸̡̾̀'̿̉ͤͯ͊m̄͢͟ ̨̄̽͗̕͝g̛ͦ̂̇ͪ̿͛̍o̴͆ͮ̒̔͟ņͧ͊̑͐ͤ͆͟͜n͆͑̇a̡͌̆͆ ͬ͋̋͑̒̎f̨͑ͧ͑ͬ̏ͧͪ͜iͮ̈͊͐̊̊ͧ͢͠͞n̷͊̑̽̋͛͑ȉ̷́s̡̽ͧ̎̂̇̎hͥ̽̂̅̍͗̓͝**  
  
̵̀ͯ͌ͫ̓ͤ̂͐ͪ͟ **yͩ̐ͥ̂̐͏ô͒̇ͥ̾͑̏̎͘u̢ͧ̀̐̑͒̿ ̅̉̕ǒ̵ͯ͢n̸ͧ̉̂̀̑̋ç̡̏ë́͛҉ ̵̋͌a̍̓ͮ͆̈̉nͫ̽̄ͥͬͭ͂dͦ͋̄̉ͩ̈́͋͂͘ ̴ͪͭͩ̚ḟ̨̢̎̈́ͨo̓͊̍͝͞r̈͒̄̓͏̢ ̶ͩ̄͋͡aͦ̏̏ͪͭ͛͜͝l̨̈͛ͮ̂̃̾̂̓͏͞ļ̓͐̉.̸̨̑ͤ̈́ͥ̽̒ͭ͌"**  
  
He fired at the child, and they just barely managed to avoid the attack, diving out of the way. Without another word, they opened a portal and escaped through, leaving Error behind in the Judgment Hall.  
  
He stared at the space where the child used to be, his blasters pointed at nothing.  
  
"ḩ̡ͤͭ͘ė̴̆ͤ̽ͮͫ̈͆h̄͑̏͜͠ ̵̍̋ͬ͞h̾ͭ̇͆͐͌ͧ͜͟͟e̶̷ͨ̿͗̀̓͝h͂̑̓̐̈͜҉.̶̶̓.̅̃͑͛ͨ̌ͭ̽͏͏.̸̋̍͊͗̔ ̉͌͊̽ͯͩ̇̄͡h̢̧ͣ͒̓͆̈́̒e̵͋͐͛̿̆ͣh̷ͤͦ̒̄͗ ̸ͣ̑͆h̛̍ͧ͛͛͌ͦ͐ͣ͝e͑͗̄̓̆͜h̓́̔͌̽̓͑͟ ͌̌ͪ̈ͣ͟͜ḧ́͆̆͋͐eͬͯ͋ͣh͂̈̃ͬ̕.̧ͦ.̵̨͌ͮ.̸̶ͪͪ̅̽ͦ̓̍͡" He laughed softly, allowing the weapons to slowly drift back into nothingness. From this part of UNDERTALE, it would be simple to access the other AU's, even those that had always been too far away.  
  
With you gone, there was no point in hiding anything. There was no point in holding back. He was finally in the place he'd wanted to be for so long, and now he could fulfill his purpose.  
  
His smile widened, and he opened a portal to a new AU.  
  
Everything would be fixed.


	3. Chapter 3

_“F/n? F/n, where did you go?”_  
_“...oh... oh no!!”_  
_“F/n, can you hear me?!? Please, say something, anything!!!”_  
_“... ...?”_  
_“Stay with me, okay?!? Please don’t die!!!”_

~

_"...okay? Can you hear me?"_ Your eyes shot open, and you stumbled forward a little.  
  
"Wh-what?" You turned and saw Seven standing nearby, what you imagined to be a look of concern on his face. "What just happened?"  
  
He shook his head. _"I'm not sure. You just stopped walking, and wouldn't answer me."_ You stared down at yourself, seeing you were all there. You hadn't been injured passing through the portal, at least, not that you could see. Seven stared at you with what you imagined to be concern, but you shook your head gently.  
  
"I'm okay. Sorry about that." He stared at you for a few more moments before turning away, and you followed his gaze out to your new surroundings.  
  
While it looked similar to every other "Ruins" area you'd seen, something about this place just felt... darker than any land you'd been before. The normally violet walls of the Ruins were ashen and grey, and the plants beneath your feet had clearly gone unattended for an indeterminate period of time. "I wonder... how Flowey is..." Staring down at the dead stalks and blooms reminded you of the genocidal yellow flower. Maybe you had arrived at a time when Toriel left the Ruins; It would account for Flowey's absence and the neglected plants.  
  
You looked up at Seven. "Do you know where we are, exactly?" He had been staring down the darkened corridor into the next room, but at the sound of your voice turned to face you.  
  
_"Sort of. I know the area we're in, and how to leave it, but I'm afraid I don't know what this place will be like."_ He turned his head, once again staring down the hall. _"We should be on our guard."_ You followed his gaze and hesitantly nodded.  
  
"I guess... we should go, then." Your heart felt heavy. You'd never been in a position where you'd **actually** hurt anyone before, and the thought terrified you. Memories were sneaking back into your mind of that time long ago, the time when you thought you'd been killing your friends; You could still feel the pain in your chest, as though you'd actually killed them. This time, though, it would be true.  
  
It would be real.  
  
_"... I know it'll be difficult. But it's all just data, in the end."_ Seven shifted his hand for emphasis, and you watched as the data that composed his body trailed behind his hand, temporarily warping the air around it.  
  
"I know." You averted your gaze.  
  
_"They'll all come back, F/n. I promise."_ He reiterated, shifting closer to you.  
  
You swallowed your emotions and looked up, plastering a smile on your face. "So, should we just move forward, then?"  
  
Seven nodded. _"Yeah. But..."_ He looked like he was thinking about something. _"I don't think I should be seen."_  
  
"What do you mean?" Your smile dropped into a look of confusion.  
  
_"If we want to do this with as few casualties as possible, it might be safer if I stay hidden until you absolutely need my help. After all, I don't really have the most **friendly** looking form."_ For emphasis, he oscillated all his data, and you watched with fascination as the space around him glitched momentarily, before returning to normal.  
  
"You've got a point..." He **did** look a little scary, and you imagined that to someone who'd never encountered anything with a data leak before, he would look terrifying. "But how are you going to hide?"  
  
_"It's simple."_ In seconds, his data melted to the floor, forming a black pool. The black pool of data quickly shot along the ground and underneath you, flattening and occupying the same space as your shadow. You stared down at the shadow beneath you, eyes wide with surprise.  
  
"W-woah! That's so weird!" You stomped a foot testingly to see if it would hurt him, but if he noticed he didn't give any response. "But, how do I talk to you...?"  
  
The shadow shifted from beneath you, snaking up and curving slightly before forming the top half of Seven's body, the bottom half still attached to the shadow at your feet. _"Just ask. I can still hear you, and see what's happening."_  
  
You nodded in affirmation. "So, what should I do? Should I just... go?"  
  
_"We need to find the CORE soul for this world; I've narrowed it down to being the HUMAN soul. We just need to find the HUMAN, and take their soul."_ He was about to return to your shadow, when he paused. _"Remember, I'll be right here. Don't worry, we'll get through this together."_ And with that said, he vanished into your shadow.  
  
You stood alone in the Ruins, staring down at the floor where your shadow sat as always, unmoving. Slowly, you looked up at the dark path ahead of you, and couldn't help but wonder what Error was doing, and if he was okay.  
  
You would die if you didn't do this, and that meant you'd never see any of your friends again, never see Error again. You didn't want that. You wanted to to live, you **had to live.**  
  
You walked forward into the darkness, leaving your hesitation behind.  
  
~  
  
You paused in the center of the next room, feeling sort of nostalgic; This was where you'd always met Toriel. You would have a brief conversation with Flowey, and then Toriel would come and rescue you from him, taking you with her back to her house. Unlike that time, there was no light in the center of this room to highlight Flowey; As a matter of fact, the only light you could see was a very dim torchlight coming from further into the Ruins. After waiting a few moments, expecting something to happen, you decided to move on to the rest of the area. Maybe your suspicion had been correct, and Toriel had already left.  
  
Just as you reached the archway into the next section of the Ruins you thought you heard a small noise, and you stopped dead in your tracks, turning back to face the dark room.  
  
Silence.  
  
You frowned to yourself, slowly turning back again, when you heard the same noise, this time a little louder. It sounded like a groan of pain, and it came from the ground somewhere behind you. Unfortunately, you couldn't see a thing, so you instead called out into the darkness. "Hello? Is someone there?"  
  
No answer.  
  
You'd definitely heard **something** , though. Before you could ask Seven about it, a voice called back to you. "Who... are you...?" It was a familiar-sounding voice, but you couldn't place whom it belonged to.  
  
"I'm F/n." You answered without hesitation. "Who... no, where are you? I can't see you in the dark." You finally saw something shifting close to the ground, a black mass among a black mass, but it was movement nevertheless. You moved towards whoever had been speaking to you and knelt down, reaching out to help them up. When your hand connected to something fibrous and soft, you suddenly realized who you'd been speaking to.  
  
"F...Flowey...?" You asked softly, and you felt the little plant freeze in your hand.  
  
"How... do you know that?" He asked, and you could tell he'd moved his head upward.  
  
You weren't sure how to answer his question, and instead posed one of your own. "What happened to you? Aren't you usually waiting here?"  
  
"I am." He sounded sad. "This is the only safe place."  
  
"The only safe place? From what?" He didn't answer you.  
  
"L-look, whoever you are, you've come to the wrong place." He suddenly sounded worried. "In this place, it's KILL or be KILLED. You won't make it if you don't leave."  
  
While it sounded like Flowey (albeit more tired), what he said didn't remind you of Flowey at all; The plant sounded genuinely afraid, and to scare Flowey struck you as something that must have been incredibly difficult. Your own nerves bubbled forth. "W-why? What happened?"  
  
"There's... there's nothing **good** left here, F/n." He responded. "If there's any **good** left in you, you'll go."  
  
It didn't answer any questions, only scared you more. As though sensing your fear, you could feel Seven's data ripple out of your shadow from beneath you, almost like he was reiterating that you weren't alone. The thought helped somewhat, and you turned your attention back to Flowey. "Flowey, I need you to tell me something. Did you-"  
  
He cut you off, suddenly struggling in your hands. "N-no!! You have to run, please!!" Startled by his sudden thrashing, you dropped him to the ground, losing track of him completely in the darkness.  
  
"Wh-what? Where did you..." You trailed off when you heard an eerie sound coming from further in the Ruins; Singing.  
  
It was soft and light, as though the singer were otherwise occupied and the singing was an afterthought, but it got closer and closer. It was a haunting tune, one that you could have almost sworn you'd recognized.  
  
You stood slowly and turned to face the doorway, listening and waiting as the lilting melody came closer and closer, and the owner of the voice eventually appeared in the doorway.  
  
Toriel.  
  
The two of you stared at each other for what was probably mere seconds, but felt like forever. Illuminated by the dim torchlight, you could see it was definitely the kind woman who'd helped you through the Ruins so many times in the past, but something was different about her. She looked dusty and ragged, as though she'd climbed through the passages so many times she's become a part of the Ruins. Her fur was unkempt in some spots, and her dress was tattered at the edges and, unlike her normal violet dress, was black and red in color. You weren't sure if it was just the poor lighting from the torches, but it almost looked like she hadn't slept in a very long time, dark bags circling beneath her eyes.  
  
They lit up when she saw you, and the previous soft smile she had sported on walking into the doorway widened into a full-blown grin that sent shivers down your spine.  
  
"A visitor to the Ruins! It's been far, far, far too long!" She approached you quickly and happily, but paused moments before reaching you, eyes narrowing and surveying the darkness around you. "You... came alone, didn't you, my child?"  
  
You swallowed and nodded, unable to shake the uneasy feeling she gave you. Seeing your response, her eyes smiled again, and she reached out and took your hand in hers. As soon as your hands connected, you could feel there where chunks of fur missing, and the skin beneath the missing fluff was clammy and cold. "Come child, come! Let's get you out of this disgusting place, shall we?" She began pulling you into the Ruins, and you couldn't find the courage to stop her.  
  
You looked back one last time in the darkened room and saw a shadow shift into the light of the previous room, finally giving you a good look at Flowey, his petals all but torn from his head and a chunk of his stalk broken. The way he looked at you sent a chill through your body.  
  
You knew then that you'd likely never see the Flower again.


	4. Chapter 4

You followed Toriel through the dimly lit Ruins, your sense of unease only growing as you noticed a distinct lack of life; Under normal circumstances, there were a few monsters that wandered the Ruins. While they would never have approached with violence when Toriel was around, this was a completely different level of avoidance. Aside from the sounds of your feet hitting the ground, there was nothing.  
  
Although you walked through mostly darkness, every time you passed a torch, the light it cast lit up Toriel's face. For split seconds you could swear you'd seen something disturbing in her features, but in a moment it would be replaced by the over-tired smile you had first seen on her.  
  
"I'm just so happy to see you, my child! I almost never get visitors any more, it gets quite lonely." She spoke in a rushed manner.  
  
"W-well, I'm glad to... be here." You weren't really sure if it was a good response, but it was all you could muster.  
  
"With you here, things will be much more lively!! Hahahahahaha!" She burst out laughing so suddenly that it caused you to flinch. Noticing this, she quickly covered her mouth and stifled the last of it. "Sorry, my child. I didn't mean to startle you." You could still hear the leftover mirth in her voice, and it sent a chill down your spine.  
  
"That's okay." You assured her, starting to feel a little like a hostage. You wanted to talk to Seven, but didn't want to risk Toriel reacting strangely, and so instead you nervously clenched your free hand.  
  
It didn't take very long to arrive at the small area just before Toriel's home; She never left you alone the way Toriel had in the original Undertale, instead clinging almost desperately to your hand as though you'd run away at any moment (Which, to be fair, you might have). She paused, looking around and her smiling leaving her face. She stared down at your connected hands, her eyes narrowed slightly, then she looked back up at you, smiling sweetly.  
  
"I'm... going to let go of your hand now, okay? I need you to wait here." You nodded, staring up at her, and she squeezed your hand much too hard in response. "Good, good." With that seemingly settled, she released your hand and turned, walking ahead. Almost immediately after she had left the area, you noticed your shadow re-constituting itself beneath you, but you were distracted looking down at your freed hand; It seemed that in the process of holding Toriel's hand, she had lost some fur that was now in your palm. You simply stared at it, trying to sort out what was going on in the Universe in your head.  
  
" _Are you alright? You seemed nervous._ " At Seven's words you slowly looked up at him, a blank look on your face.  
  
"What happened to her...?"  
  
He stared at you for a moment, then averted his gaze slightly. " _I think... it must have something to do with this place._ " He turned to look at the dim-lit walls. " _It's usually nicer in here, right? There's cobwebs everywhere._ " You hadn't really noticed, but it was true. When you allowed your eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room, you could see that it was coated in dust and cobwebs, looking like almost nothing had inhabited the Ruins for a long time. The sight only served to worsen your nerves, and you dropped the fur onto the floor.  
  
"Maybe... maybe this was a bad idea." You shifted in yor spot, searching the dark for the exit to the room. "Can't I just... create a SOUL for us to use? I can do that, you know!" The idea had struck you so suddenly that you latched onto it, turning desperately to Seven.  
  
He shook his head. "You can't. It would never be enough for what we need to do." You could hear soft footfalls quickly returning, and evidently so could Seven; He turned to face the source of the sound. " _If you want to, we could just get rid of her now and-_ "  
  
"N-no!!" You cut him off, shaking your head. "Seven, I-I don't want to kill everyone! I want..." You stared down at your feet. "I want to do this with as few casualties as possible..."  
  
He turned back to you, studying you before nodding. " _Alright. Just know that I won't let you get hurt, though_." He sunk quickly into your shadow.  
  
Just as Seven vanished, Toriel, returned, looking overjoyed that you were still where she'd left you. "Come, come, this way! I have an amazing surprise for you!" She took hold of your hand again and pulled you forward, towards where you knew the house was. "Here we are!"  
  
Your eyes widened as you saw the home Toriel lived in; It was dilapitated, looking as though it wasn't cared for at all in a long time. The bricks that composed the walls were chipped or, in some cases, completely missing, and the lower half of one of the windows was broken, allowing leaves to leak into the building. The sign that normally hung over the doorway was broken in half, as well as half a word you could quite make out painted on it. She smiled happily down at you, clearly mistaking your shock as excitement. After giving you enough time to take in the exterior, she laughed cheerily, clapping her hands together. "Well! Come, my child, let's go in! I've got another surprise for you!" She took hold of your hand once more, pulling you into the house.  
  
It was just as bad as it had looked on the outside. Floorboards were cracked or broken, wallpaper peeled, and the layer of dust on almost everything was so thick it altered the colors slightly. Toriel released your hand and turned back to the door, where you heard the definitive sound of a lock clicking into place. Afterwards, she rushed past you towards the kitchen, and you turned and stared at the (now **very** locked) door.  
"...No going back..." You spoke aloud, turning back to the stairwell. Leaning over the bannister, you flinched at the sight of the stairs themselves; They looked so decrepit that you weren't sure they could even hold up the dust that settled on them much longer. The smell of mould that wafted up from the basement hit you, and you backed away, covering your nose. "This place is awful..."  
  
"What was that, dear?" Toriel entered from the living room, holding a steak knife in a way that struck you as menacing. You flinched and forced a smile on your face.  
  
"I said that this place is wonderful." You lied quickly, and she smiled widely.  
  
"I'm so glad you like it! Look, I have something else to show you!" The way she gestured with the knife scared you a little, and you followed her as she led you to the bedrooms. With her free hand, she opened the door and stepped aside, watching your face carefully. When you looked in the room, you had to fight every urge not to look absolutely horrifed.  
  
While it was fundamentally the same room as it always had been, it had taken on an appearance similar to the rest of the house; The wallpaper peeled, and the floorboards were broken in some places. It looked like someone had poorly attempted to dust it, random patches of the room less dust-coated than others. While the room itself wasn't much different from the rest of the house, it was the furniture and decorating within that made you feel sick to your stomach. There were toys and stuffed animals strewn about in various states of disrepair, some only missing a button, and others missing entire limbs. The small lamp that normally sat in the corner lay broken in a pile beneath the stool it sat on, and the walls were covered in disturbing crayon drawings. There was some sort of dried, dark brown substance spattered in some areas of the room, patches of it attempted to be cleaned unsuccessfully, and the entire room had a musty smell you couldn't quite define."Well? It's very nice, isn't it?"  
  
You nodded, but when she continued to stare you tore your gaze from the room and smiled at her nervously. "I love it."  
  
She laughed happily, and dove forward. Your eyes immediately latched onto the knife in her hand, but to your relief she held it away as she hugged you. She smelled of mould and dust, and the scent almost made you choke on your breath. "I'm so glad. Now, you can stay here forever and ever!" When she pulled away and happily wandered off you took a deep breath; Even if it was the musty air of the bedroom, it was better than her. Checking the hall to make sure she was gone, you closed the door and backed away from it, trying to formulate a plan. "She's crazy! What happened to her?!?"  
  
" _Like I said before, it's probably got something to do with this Universe._ " Seven returned, this time seperating himself from your shadow fully. " _If you want, I can go check exactly what-_ "  
  
"No, don't leave me here!" You quickly cut him off, your eyes widening in horror. "What if she comes back?" He stared at you for a second, then nodded.  
  
" _Well, if you want to leave, can you open a portal to the next area?_ "  
  
"Th-that's right!" In all the excitement, you'd forgotten about your abilities, the ones you'd been practicing for so long. Closing your eyes, you focused on the data around you, searching for something familiar. You could feel the coding for the outside of the Ruins, and you reached out to it, locking on. "Okay. Now all I need to do is attach it to the data of this room, and-" You cut yourself off, your throat going dry. There was something in the data in front of you.  
  
It was a little difficult to make out at first, but when you'd realized what it was your blood ran cold. It was glowing faintly, and from the angle you stood at it appeared to be nothing more than a thin, white line; In an instant it was directly in front of you, and it felt like your body was being sucked away from you and towards it. Your skin began to itch and burn slightly, and the closer it got the worse the sensation became. You couldn't move; Moving would release the coding and you'd be unable to leave. You watched in horror as it got closer, closer, until...  
  
" _F/n!!!_ "  
  
You were yanked back suddenly, and you were in the bedroom again, Seven holding your shoulder tightly. In a daze, you looked around, not seeing a portal anywhere. "Wha... what happened?"  
  
Seven's eyes were wide, and he stared down at you with what you imagined was fear. " _Are you okay?!? You suddenly stopped moving!_ "  
  
You looked down at your hands and body, relief washing over you when you saw they were still there. "I... I don't know. Everything was going fine, and then... that **thing** showed up again."  
  
" _Thing?_ " You nodded, and Seven's eyes narrowed for a moment before widening in realization. " _Those rectangular things, right?_ " You nodded again, and he swore quietly, turning away.  
  
"Seven?" You approached him, and he turned back to face you, shaking his head.  
  
" _I'm sorry. I shouldn't have ever suggested you try to use your powers. Especially not when..._ " He trailed off, and you waited for him to continue. " _Ah, never mind. Don't worry, we'll just have to do this the old-fashioned way._ "  
  
"What's that?"  
  
" _By travelling normally._ " He finished sheepishly.  
  
"Ah." You couldn't help but smile a little at the suggestion. "But, you can't open a portal to take us to the next area?"  
  
" _No._ " He averted his gaze.  
  
You stared down at your hands, feeling bad for having asked; You didn't know anything about Seven, and maybe his abilities were a touchy subject. "Well, I guess we'll just have to make a plan, then." You walked over to the bed and sat on it, instantly regretting the action. Instead of making a soft "whooshing" noise, the bed made a wet squelching sound that made you stand immediately. "...I was gonna suggest I lie down and wait a bit until Toriel thinks I'm asleep and make a run for it, but..." You didn't bother to lift the covers to see what made the noise. You weren't sure you **wanted** to know. "I think I'll sit here and wait instead."  
  
" _Won't she come in and check?_ " Seven asked, and flinched a little when your face dropped at the realization. " _I can help, I think._ " He approached the bed, raising his hand in a sweeping motion. Something suddenly appeared beneath the covers of the bed, creating a round lump; Though it wasn't quite human-shaped, it would be close enough in the darkness of the room.  
  
"That's great!" You complimented him, cheering up a little. "Thanks, Seven. Now, I just need a place to hide." You looked around the room, your eyes landing on the closet. Something about hiding in there unsettled you, but you brushed the feeling away and opened the creaky doors, luckily finding it empty with the exception of a few cobwebs. You climbed into it, and smiled weakly at Seven. "Good?"  
  
He stared at you with an unreadable look before nodding. " _I think so._ "  
  
"Okay! Now, as for you-"  
  
" _I can hide underneath the bed_." He finished for you, and you looked up at him from your now seated position in the closet.  
  
"Are you sure? I mean, if you wanted to hide in here too, I don't mind."  
  
He shook his head. "I'll be fine. Besides, you..." He trailed off, then shook his head again. " _Never mind. I'll let you know when it's safe to come out, okay?_ "  
  
"Right!" You nodded, and pulled the closet doors closed. You sat alone in the dark and pulled your knees up to your chest, staring at where you imagined your feet to be. You wondered where Error was, and what he was doing right now. Was he looking for you? Did he think you were dead? You felt bad that you couldn't go find him, and tell him everything was okay... After all, you'd promised you'd never leave him, and now...  
  
"I'm sorry, Error." You whispered to yourself. "I'll make it up to you somehow, I promise."  
  
~~  
  
" _F/n...? F/n, wake up..._ "  
  
You awoke to a soft voice calling out to you in the darkness, and lifted your head from your knees groggily. When you turned to the source, you were startled to see a glowing pair of eyes staring at you in the dark. Because you were in a cramped space, when you jumped you smacked the back of your head against the side of the closet, and immediately curled forward in pain.  
  
" _W-woah, be careful!_ " Black data-laced hands reached out to you, and in a flash you recalled what had happened up until this point. _That's right, I'm..._  
  
"S-Sorry." You laughed sheepishly, adjusting your position in the closet and standing. "I must have dozed off."  
  
Seven nodded. " _You did. Are you okay, though?_ " Clearly, he was still worried about the bump on the head. You rubbed it gently, flinching when it stung a little.  
  
"I'm good. I've got a thick skull." You gave him a reassuring smile. "Did Toriel...?"  
  
He nodded in response. " _I waited until I was sure she wasn't around. It should be the safest time to leave_."  
  
"Right." You steeled yourself. "Then, let's go."  
  
After Seven joined your shadow, you carefully pushed the door to the bedroom open, avoiding any creaking noises it could make that would alert her to your activities. After waiting a moment and listening in the darkness, you quietly felt your way down the hallway, using the wall as a guide to lead you to the stairwell. Thankfully, because the window had been broken, a decent amount of torchlight filtered into the foyer, and you could make out the bannister of the stairs with relative ease. When you got to the top of the steps you paused, remembering the state they'd been in when you first saw them, and you swallowed thickly; This could get dangerous.  
  
As carefully as you could, you tenderly placed your weight on the first step, testing its ability to hold weight. It seemed to hold fine, and so you moved on to the next, and continued in that way the entire way down, flinching and freezing each time a step creaked or groaned in complaint. You were terrified of Toriel coming to find you.  
  
You were terrified of what you might have to do to her.  
  
You'd never been more thankful to feel concrete beneath your feet when you reached the bottom of the stairs. You were almost tempted to kiss it, were it not for the fact that you knew it probably hadn't been cleaned in a very, very long time. "We're home free!" You happily whispered, and began running down the long hallway to the exit. She wouldn't hear you if you ran down here, and you didn't want to spend another minute in this place. You could see the doors to exit the Ruins in front of you, and with a burst of energy you pushed them open. You had an inexplicable feeling, like if you weren't fast, Toriel would catch you; But she wasn't there. She wasn't behind you, and if you got into the next room, she wouldn't follow. She never did.  
  
You ran into the next room, the doors slowly closing behind you, and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Even the air in this room was less thick, cold wind from the snowy area next to it filtering through the cracks in the door. "Ha... We did, it, Se-"  
  
"Where are you going?"


End file.
